Chocolate is an extremely popular and versatile food product which is characterized by a smooth, creamy consistency upon mastication. Chocolate derives its desirable eating qualities largely from the melting properties of cocoa butter which is typically present in chocolate at about 32% by weight. The melting behavior of cocoa butter is the result of its unique triglyceride composition. However, this unique triglyceride composition, like the triglyceride composition of other natural fats, is relatively high in calories. Approximately 50% of the calories in chocolate products come from fat which is exclusively or predominantly cocoa butter. This means person who must restrict their intake of calories must either reduce the amount of chocolate products they consume, or in the extreme case, completely exclude such products from their diet.
Low calorie cocoa butter substitutes which have physical properties similar to cocoa butter have been developed. See, for example, Ehrman et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,888,196; Issued December 19, 1989, which discloses flavored confectionery compositions comprising:
a. a flavor enhancing amount of a flavor component; PA1 b. from about 25 to about 45% of a fat component comprising: PA1 c. from about 55 to about 75% other nonfat confectionery ingredients. PA1 (i) from about 40 to about 60% combined C.sub.8 and C.sub.10 saturated fatty acids, PA1 (ii) a ratio of C.sub.8 to C.sub.10 saturated fatty acids of from about 1:2.5 to about 2.5:1; and PA1 (iii) from about 40 to about 60% behenic fatty acid.
(1) at least about 70% of a reduced calorie fat having: PA2 wherein M is a C.sub.6 to C.sub.10 saturated fatty acid residue and L is a C.sub.20 to C.sub.24 saturated fatty acid residue; PA2 (2) up to about 15% milkfat; PA2 (3) up to about 20% cocoa butter; PA2 (4) no more than about 4% diglyceddes; and
(a) at least about 85% combined MLM and MML triglycerides; PA3 (b) no more than about 5% combined LLM and LML triglycerides; PA3 (c) no more than about 2% LLL triglycerides; PA3 (d) no more than about 4% MMM triglycerides; PA3 (e) no more than about 7% other triglycerides; PA3 (f) a fatty acid composition having: PA4 (i) from about 40 to about 60% combined C.sub.8 and C.sub.10 saturated fatty acids, PA4 (ii) a ratio of C.sub.8 to C.sub.10 saturated fatty acids of from about 1:2.5 to about 2.5:1 , PA4 (iii) from about 40 to about 60% behenic fatty acid,
The reduced calorie fats utilized in the confectionery compositions of Ehrman et al can be prepared by a variety of techniques such as by random rearrangement of long chain triglycerides and medium chain triglycerides, esterification of glycerol with a blend of the corresponding fatty acids, transesterification of a blend of medium and long chain fatty acid methyl esters with glycerol and transesterification of long chain fatty acid glycerol esters with medium chain triglycerides. Processes for preparing the reduced calorie fats utilized in the confectionery compositions of Ehrman et al are also described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,142,071 to Kluesener et al; Issued Aug. 25, 1992 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,142,072 to Stipp et al; Issued Aug. 25, 1992.
Unfortunately, reduced calorie fats of the type described in Ehrman et al, which were used in the confectionery compositions disclosed therein, are slower to crystallize to the thermodynamically stable beta structure than reduced calorie fats comprising conventional triglycerides. As a result, chocolate confectionery compositions containing these reduced calorie fats, such as those described in Ehrman et al, require longer in-mould times than confectionery compositions containing conventional triglycerides.
It has now been found that the rate of crystallization of reduced calorie fats such as those utilized in the chocolate confectionery compositions of Ehrman et al is dependent on the distribution of MML and MLM triglycerides present in the reduced calorie fat. Reduced calorie fats prepared according to prior processes typically contain less than about 40% of the MLM long chain fatty acid 2-position isomers. It has now been found that, surprisingly, reduced calorie fats comprising mixtures of reduced calorie triglycerides which are enriched in MLM long chain fatty acid 2-position isomers (e.g., which contain at least about 40% of the long chain fatty acid 2-position isomers) exhibit rapid crystallization into the alpha crystalline phase and rapid transformation to beta phase compared to reduced calorie fats comprising mixtures of reduced calorie triglycerides which contain less than about 40% of the long chain fatty acid 2-position isomer. Therefore, the in-mould time of chocolate confectionery compositions which contain these reduced calorie fats can be reduced by up to about 95%.